Skip to main content

Greenpeace supports Govt of India's new climate targets, as minister accuses NGO of "inciting" anti-industry protests

 
Greenpeace India, facing Government of India (GoI) wrath over its environment-related campaigns, especially in the country’s coal belt, has issued a statement declaring its support to GoI’s latest climate targets of achieving 40 per cent electricity from non-fossil fuel sources, and 33-35 per cent emissions intensity reduction, by 2030.
Calling the new GoI goals “steps in the right direction”, the top international NGO, whose registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was recently controversially cancelled by the GoI, however, took exception to “the economic and social justification for a coal expansion of the scale envisioned.”
The Greenpeace statement comes close on the heels of union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju accusing Greenpeace of "inciting protests against industrial projects in the country and has warned activists and global aid organisation not to work against the government".
The statement quotes Pujarini Sen, Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace India, as saying that there should have been a clearer articulation of a renewable energy target in “keeping with expectations for climate justice, as these are the people most vulnerable to climate change.”
"Given the growth in the renewable energy sector, we would have liked to see a specific target for solar and wind. Forty per cent of electricity from renewable energy by 2030 is definitely possible, especially so with financial and technical support,” said Sen.
Sen said, “Decentralised renewable energy systems, along with grid reforms, provide an opportunity for over 300 million Indians to get access to electricity for the first time in their lives.” Giving an example, the expert activist says, “The Dharnai model in Bihar we’ve worked in partnership with local communities, government and other organisations to establish, is a model solution for towns, villages and people across Bihar and India that have been deprived of energy for decades.”
In Dhanrai village, Jehanabad district, the Rs 3 crore solar-powered micro-grid, according to Greenpeace, provides a “comprehensive, first-of-its-kind enterprise that provides 24x7 electricity to more than 450 households and 50 commercial establishments”.
Sticking to its opposition to coal-based expansion, however, Greenpeace said, “The scale of expansion of another 170-200 GW power from coal is baffling. This will set back India’s development prospects, by worsening problems of air quality and water scarcity, as well as contributing to the destruction of forests from mining, and the displacement of communities.”
The NGO quotes financial analysts as predicting that “electricity from renewable energy, especially solar, will be cheaper than coal within a few years, so where is the economic rationale for investing in what might well be stranded assets?"
The statement also quotes that Sanjay Vashist, director, Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), as saying that India, through its announced Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for renewable energy, has demonstrated “its willingness to play an important role on the international stage ahead of the climate talks in December in Paris.”
“India's signal could no doubt be much stronger – going even further to help the international community avoid unmanageable climate impacts – should the rich and developed countries step up and provide adequate finance and technology support", Vashist says.
In yet another INDC target, India has declared its willingness to create an additional carbon sink of up to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover.
Greenpeace believes that while this target is admirable, “the government needs to ensure that any afforestation or forest regeneration programmes recognise the primacy of community rights and avoid monoculture plantations. More importantly, the government should prioritise protecting existing forests, including from threats such as coal mining, to achieve the stated forest targets.”

Comments

TRENDING

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.  

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead. 

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.